The State of the Union

For the last two weeks, Yale University has face the threat of a major strike by 1800 clerical and technical workers who said they would "shut down" the campus.

An eleventh hour compromise within the union averted the strike but labor leaders are still militant in their demands for a new contract providing them significantly more money, benefits and job security and negotiations will continue next week.

Here in Cambridge, Harvard officials acknowledge that the specter of such union activism is one of the reasons they have so fiercely opposed Medical workers' decade-long attempts to unionize.

Union organizers are vowing the war isn't over, but Harvard last Friday won what can only be described as a major battle in the fight to keep union officials from organizing clerical and technical workers in the Medical School, the Dental School the School of Public Health and possibly the rest of the University. The stakes behind the question are high. It is much easier to organize workers in one part of the University than all across campus.

Last week's victory came when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overturned a seven year-old decision on an old debate about rules. The question was were the 800 clerical and technical workers in the Medical Area geographically, administratively and technically separate enough from the rest of the University as to be entitled to their own union.'

In 1977 the NLRB ruled the Medical Area workers were separate, and two close elections were held over the next four years, with the union, the United Auto Workers (UAW) losing each time. But Harvard never gave up and kept raising the issue with the board Friday it got what it wanted. The Board reversed the earlier ruling.

"We thought the 1977 decision was wrong and are very pleased it has been overturned." University Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54 said this week.

Union organizers are refusing to call the NLRB ruling a setback, saying only that it was a disappointment and attributing it to politics. The NLRB has adopted a decidedly pro-management stance under the Reagan Administration, says Harvard UAW organizer Kristine Rondeau.

But the decision does give the union a much longer row to hoe now. There are about 4000 secretaries, clerks, library assistants, laboratory aides, technicians and other workers to be organized university wide.

Although it came close twice and claimed to have been hampered by the University, the union did nose two close elections among the Medical Area workers in 1977 and 1981.

The Union has made a couple of preliminary attempts to organize in Cambridge before, but none have really gotten off the ground as organizers struggled with so many people scattered in different departments and concentrated their efforts in the Medical Area.

But Rondeau is optimistic and says that if they do succeed, a university wide union would be stronger than one confined to the three schools across the river.

For the past six months or so Harvard UAW has been quietly stepping up its efforts in Cambridge passing out information, meeting people and recruiting support for the union.

Rondeau says the UAW still strongly supports the local's efforts. "We've been very pleased in the large number of people who have shown interest in helping out the union in organizing," he adds.

Although Harvard officials have said previously they would be willing to negotiate with a union representing all the clerical and technical workers, the University is not going to roll over and let Harvard UAW organize unopposed.

Steiner pointed to the troubles Yale is having and said, "An involvement of an outside organization and relationship at Harvard is not necessarily a good thing."

How Harvard would oppose a potentially viable union drive remains to be seen, but before the earlier elections the University mounted a strong propaganda campaign, promoting their policies and criticising the union.

One factor in Harvard's favor is its well-defined salary scale and job development program, something Yale does not have for its clerical and technical workers.

Since union activity started in the Medical Area 10 years ago, the issues have remained largely unchanged. But the union does take credit for pressuring Harvard into increasing some wages and benefits and improving working conditions.

However, Rondeau points out that 82 percent of those eligible for membership if unionization is successful are women, who are traditionally lower-paid than men. And the union has not backed off its call for a fairer grievance procedure, higher pay, a dental plan, comprehensive health insurance and daycare.

Steiner, however, contends that the University's policies are fair and said he has never seen "a union program that addresses personnel concerns in a way better than they are now being addressed at Harvard."